STUART
(Slap Bass / Backing Vocals)
(Slap Bass / Backing Vocals)
Stuart has been a fan of the 50’s era since the age of 12, being mainly influenced by his parents’ fondness for the music of Elvis Presley.
The death of Elvis way back in 1977 seemed to rocket Stuart’s interest to a higher level and eventually led him to discovering Rockabilly music.
At the age of 18 he attended his first Weekender and was mesmerised by the upright acoustic bass. Within a short time Stuart had purchased his own bass and immediately began to teach himself to play.
In addition to Elvis, Stuart’s musical influences include Buddy Holly, Hank Williams, The Everly Brothers, Johnny Burnette and revival Rockabilly bands such as Restless, The Stray Cats, The Jets and Big Sandy and The Flyrite Boys.
Stuart has played with various bands during his musical career, one of the first being a busking outfit called Sgt. Bilko’s Crazy Combo. Others include The Blue Ridge Rockets, the original Eager Beavers and Johnny and The Zephyrs. Stuart’s claim to fame is once backing comedian/singer Jasper Carrot while with Johnny and The Zephyrs.
Asked to comment on his aspirations Stuart replied that his principal aim was to continue delivering high quality entertainment to an ever increasing fan base and to ‘pack out every venue where the band plays’.
In terms of interesting experiences, a couple of instances stand out. One was being invited to audition for the West End musical ‘Buddy’. The other was when the original Eager Beavers played a University gig. ‘Having pleased the crowd with our show we had to be escorted by security staff to our dressing room, being kissed by a number of girls on the way.......the good old days!!’
